When Xiao Yanjing and Ran Yang chatted before meals, they often spoke of their lord like this.
He did not enjoy pleasure. His existence seemed to be for the sake of establishing a new Demon Capital, as though solely to pursue greater power.
For that, he would devour other high-ranking demons; for that, he would gather subordinates and expand his forces.
Yet he neither coveted enjoyment nor seemed to have anything he was interested in.
It was as though when he was born, no one gave him a name, yet the moment he opened his eyes, he already knew that his name was “Yan Xueyi.”
—He was neither like a human nor like a demon.
Logically speaking, all demons rose from humble beginnings and should have the fault of craving fame and achievement, or after becoming Demon Sovereign should behave like a nouveau riche. But the little demon lord was not like that. His Demon Palace was empty, containing only himself and a jiao serpent, plus Ran Yang the cook.
It could not even be called simple—
It was as though he were only briefly staying in this world.
It was quiet all year round.
—Except that Xiao Yanjing often liked to roll around outside the palace, rolling so hard the ground trembled and the mountains shook.
Xiao Yanjing tried to break the silence, to make itself more worthy of being the Demon Sovereign’s beloved pet.
As a result, every time, Xiao Yanjing would receive only one comment from his lord:
“Stupid snake.”
Just like how His Excellency often praised his beloved generals: “Idiots!”
When a powerful demon possesses terrifying strength and influence, yet seems uninterested in anything at all, even the most lawless demons will feel a kind of apprehension.
But today, the Demon Sovereign brought back a human.
His Excellency was a great demon with a violent temper, a terrible disposition, and a sharp tongue—but in front of her, he was like a ferocious beast that had restrained all its killing aura.
In front of this person, he became both “demon” and “human.”
But Ran Yang noticed that the atmosphere over there was growing more and more tense.
It seemed that because the human had not spoken for a long time, even the air around the Demon Sovereign had turned cold.
Ran Yang thought—Well, of course. No human would like a ghostly place like the Demon Realm.
There was only eternal night here. Even at high noon, one still needed lanterns and luminous pearls to see. Looking around, there was nothing but black—only black everywhere;
Demonic energy surged to the heavens. No spirit herbs could survive here. There was only barren red wasteland, not even any scenery worth mentioning.
To any human, this was a ghostly place.
But this was the only place that the Demon Sovereign could call “home.”
The Demon Sovereign remained silent for a long time. Just as Ran Yang held his breath, he heard him say stiffly:
“If you don’t like it, you can go to Wuxiang Valley in Guangping instead.”
This was already the greatest concession this demon could make.
Yet he heard the human speak: “Yanyan, where do I sleep?”
Ran Yang suddenly felt that his culinary skills might finally have a place to be useful.
He turned into a mass of black mist and quietly disappeared.
The Demon Palace was enormous, but astonishingly empty. There was only a tall throne; each room was vast and hollow.
The Great Demon Lord hated trouble the most. Normally, he either sat on the throne to sleep or discuss matters, or cultivated in the underground palace.
—So the Demon Palace did not even have a bed.
The Great Demon Lord clearly realized this only now, and his expression immediately became strange.
“You didn’t speak… because of this?”
Although the Demon Palace was indeed so large that carrying a demon from east to west would take five minutes of flying before stopping, there wasn’t even a curtain here. Standing by the window, cold wind rushed straight through.
Stand there, and gloomy gusts blew endlessly.
Chao Jinsui glanced at the demon.
Just as the demon could not understand why she ignored the eternal night and harsh environment of the Demon Realm, she likewise could not understand why the dignified Demon Sovereign lived in a place bare on all four sides, with drafts from every direction.
She spoke concisely:
“Go buy Evernight candles.”
“My bed, bookshelves, tea table, and desk.”
She looked around for a moment, then swiftly wrote him a long list.
He fell silent facing the list, looking at her calm profile, then at the list again.
She raised an eyebrow. “Why aren’t you going yet?”
—She was in his territory, giving him orders, even directing him to handle such trivial matters.
Any one of these things should have enraged the Demon Sovereign, yet he merely looked at her a few more times in a strange way and slowly asked, “Only these?”
This demon seemed to be hinting that she could make more requests.
She thought for a moment, then said solemnly, “Oh right, windows too.”
He looked at her suspiciously several more times, then summoned Ran Yang back at lightning speed and stuffed the list into his hands.
In fact, at the beginning, Ran Yang really had wanted to make the Demon Palace resplendent and magnificent, but when the Demon Sovereign saw it, His Excellency said, “Too troublesome.”
So it was simplified, then simplified again—until there was nothing left. In the end, the gloomy atmosphere rather suited the image of the Demon Palace.
Finally, after several decades, the Demon Palace at last had windows.
Facing the windows that no longer let in drafts, this demon only belatedly realized something—she seemed to truly be planning to stay here.
Not false affection, nor dealing with him perfunctorily.
Ever since the little demon lord had rescued her from the Myriad Demon Pit, he had dreamed of properly bringing her back—bringing her to his Demon Palace, to a place where he could see her.
Like a mouthful of sweetness—when struggling and crawling through hardships, holding on to that bit of sweetness was enough to endure the long years.
But now, that dream seemed to have come true.
And he had not even paid any heavy price.
He followed behind her and Ran Yang, watching from a distance like a ghost, as if observing a fragile dream that might shatter at any moment.
She chose a room with a very good orientation, lit many Evernight candles, and even took out a luminous pearl. The room immediately became bright as day;
Ran Yang brought over rows of tall bookshelves, and she placed on them the books she had found in the forbidden grounds of the Kunlun Sword Sect but had not yet had time to read.
The silk on the couch, the soft cushions, several sets of tea ware—all were things she had brought in her storage pouch.
—There was even an incense burner for burning fragrance.
The originally vast and empty Demon Palace had been somewhat damp; stepping inside felt gloomy and extremely cold. But after the fragrance slowly dispelled that chill, a sense of warmth and coziness emerged—it truly felt like a place where someone lived.
He greedily watched her figure move through every corner of the Demon Palace, almost without blinking.
Like a tall and silent ghost.
It was not until Moye came to quietly remind him that it was time to attend the council that he finally came back to himself. Pressing a hand to his forehead, he could not help but laugh—laughing in a way that made Moye’s hair stand on end.
While sitting on the throne listening to the demons below arguing, he used to think that placing just a throne in his Demon Palace was already sufficient. But now, sitting up there, he suddenly felt rather foolish.
If he had to sit alone on the throne all night again, just thinking about it made him feel a suffocating loneliness.
So after the council ended, he hurried to her door, stepping inside without ceremony.
This place had become incomparably comfortable and warm. Standing before her couch like a black great ghost that had wandered in by mistake, he asked, “Am I dreaming?”
Murmuring this to himself, he suddenly reached out and pinched her cheek.
He felt the real sensation beneath his hand—alive, warm. He was not dreaming.
She opened her eyes, truly unable to understand—if he suspected he was dreaming, why pinch her?
The next moment, he suddenly hugged her. This demon pulled her into his arms, his tall body almost enveloping her entirely. His forehead rested against her hair as he laughed aloud.
His long hair trembled as he laughed.
As though some emotion suppressed to the extreme had finally found release and poured out.
He called her, “Suisui.”
She opened her eyes helplessly. “I’m here.”
She did not know what had gotten into this demon again, but since there was nothing else to do, they quietly leaned against each other for quite a while.
Ever since this demon had begun to push his limits step by step, she had gradually grown accustomed to his closeness. It felt like something very natural—like a big dog carrying a tabby cat’s head in its mouth, just as naturally.
Although this demon’s mental state was often unstable—someone else might have been frightened by his unpredictability—but not only had she adapted well, she had even mastered a method for dealing with him.
Though this demon lord had a violent temper, as long as one grasped the technique of soothing and smoothing his fur, he did not seem so dangerous or uncontrollable.
Their relationship had gradually grown more harmonious, almost making one forget those years of hostility. Both could draw a sense of security from the other.
This time, she thought it would be the same as usual.
He leaned against her shoulder with a smile, like a coquettish big dog.
But she suddenly sensed something strange—like that instinctive vigilance carved into one’s bones before danger descends.
Her body slowly tensed. The moment she lifted her head, she met his dark, deep phoenix eyes, like black flames burning within them, staring at her with near-obsessive greed.
She tried to move, but he seized her wrist, like being clamped by a branding iron.
Only then did she suddenly remember—this big dog leaning against her and acting spoiled possessed the fangs of a ferocious beast and terrifying destructive power. She could not completely lower her guard just because he had shown submission or weakness once or twice.
His breath was scorching hot as he lowered his head, his lips and teeth drawing impossibly close to hers.
“Suisui.”
His breath was so hot it almost raised goosebumps.
“Want me to be your dog?”
Cold sweat nearly broke out across her back in an instant.
She had to admit—she had indeed begun to grow careless. She really had treated this demon like a troublesome large canine, thinking that as long as she smoothed his fur, she could keep him in check.
The intuition forged through countless brushes with life and death saved her once again. A cultivator’s vigilance made her immediately begin circulating her dantian.
—The Kunlun sword blocked in front of him.
He suddenly tilted his head and chuckled softly.
“That’s not impossible.”
He raised a hand and pushed aside the cold Kunlun sword that lay between them.
His phoenix eyes were dark and greedy, locking onto her completely. The intense emotion within them was like molten lava—so scorching that one glance felt as though one would melt into it.
That gaze was savage and blazing, as if surging with the most primal desire and instinct to claim.
His Adam’s apple bobbed once, like some kind of signal.
The next moment, his long fingers slid into her black hair, suddenly pulling them closer together. His burning, searing thin lips collided fiercely with her soft lips.
His hand was still gripping the Kunlun sword, utterly unconcerned about being cut open, about bleeding.
